The Atlanta Falcons are hoping for a miraculous finish to their 2025 season, already at 3-6 and with no margin for error. Those hopes may have gone up in flames in Week 11 against the Panthers, as quarterback
Michael Penix Jr. was hurt on a third down play and is questionable to return. Backup quarterback Kirk Cousins entered the game just before the start of the fourth quarter.
Penix was having one of his best games of the season, including an outstanding first half. The Falcons scored 21 points before halftime and took at 21-10 lead into the third quarter, but have slowly bled points to the Panthers in the second half. It’s a been a characteristic Falcons game, with plenty of good plays bookended by embarrassing special teams turnovers and continued sloppiness on offense. Penix was ultimately injured by an unblocked rusher on a blitz.
Stay tuned to this story for updates on Michael Penix and Kirk Cousins. We’ll hope that Penix is being held out as a precaution and won’t need to miss any time in future weeks. Meanwhile, this is another opportunity for Kirk Cousins to make his case for another starting job in 2026. At the moment, Atlanta needs Cousins to engineer a strong fourth quarter to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
